Sir John Edwards, 1st Baronet (15 January 1770 – 15 April 1850), was a Whig politician who served as Member of Parliament for Montgomery from 8 April 1833 to 23 June 1841. The Edwards

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

cy, of Garth in the County of Montgomery, was created for him in the

Baronetage of the United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

on 23 July 1838.

Early life

Edwards was the son of John Edwards (d. 1789), a solicitor of

Plas Machynlleth Plas Machynlleth is the former Wales, Welsh residence of the Marquess of Londonderry, Marquesses of Londonderry. It is situated in the market town of Machynlleth in Powys (formerly Montgomeryshire), Wales. It was brought into the family followin ...

(also known as 'Greenfields'), Montgomeryshire, and his third wife, Cornelia ( Owen) Edwards. His father acquired the Garth estate, including the profitable Van

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

mines, by his marriage to John's mother, the only child and heiress of Richard Owen. His sister, Mary Edwards, married John Mirehouse of Brownslade,

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

, Wales, the High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire.

Career

In 1808, he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the Western Montgomeryshire Local Militia.Bryn Owen, ''History of the Welsh Militia and Volunteer Corps 1757–1908: Montgomeryshire Regiments of Militia, Volunteers and Yeomanry Cavalry'', Wrexham: Bridge Books, 2000, , pp. 72–4. Sir John added to the mansion, and expanded the Garth estate by purchase of parts of the Peniarth Estate along the Dyfi Valley. In an 1833 by-election to replace David Pugh, who was unseated on petition, he was elected a Whig Member of Parliament for Montgomery. Edwards served until 23 June 1841 when he was succeeded by Hon. Hugh Cholmondeley.

Personal life

On 1 January 1792, Edwards was married to Catherine Brown, the eldest daughter of Thomas Brown, of Millington Hall, Montgomery. She died, without issue, on 21 January 1821. On 7 December 1825, Sir John was married to the widow, Harriet ( Johnson) Herbert (1801–1882), a daughter of the Rev. Charles Johnson and Mary ( Willes) Johnson (a daughter of Rev. Dr. William Willes, the Archdeacon of Wells). From her first marriage to John Owen Herbert of Dolforgan Hall, she was the mother of Harriet Avarina Brunetta Herbert, who married Walter Long (eldest son of Walter Long). Harriet's brother was John Willes-Johnson, an officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

who served as MP for Montgomery. Together, they were the parents of:G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14'' (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.:

Alan Sutton Publishing The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

, 2000), volume XIII, p. 73. * Mary Cornelia Edwards (1826–1906), who married George Vane-Tempest, Viscount Seaham, later to become

Earl Vane Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

and the 5th

Marquess of Londonderry Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of Londonderry ( ), is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry. He had earlier represented County Down in the Irish House of ...

, in 1846. Sir John died at

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

on 15 April 1850. Since he had no male heirs, the estate passed to his daughter Mary Cornelia Edwards (-1906) and the title became extinct on his death. After his death, Mary and Lord Londonderry used

as their family seat.

Descendants

Through his only child Mary, he was a grandfather of Lady Frances Cornelia Harriet Emily Vane-Tempest, Lady Avarina Mary Vane-Tempest, Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 6th Marquess of Londonderry, Lord Henry John Vane-Tempest, Lord Sir Herbert Lionel Vane-Tempest, and Lady Alexandrina Vane-Tempest (wife of Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Viscount Allendale).Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 2, page 2384.

References

External links

The National Archives, PCC wills, PROB11/2114, Will of Sir John Edwards, proved 1850
*National Library of Wales, Plas Machynlleth estate records, context and administrative history.
Mary Cornelia (née Edwards), Marchioness of Londonderry (1826-1906), Wife of 5th Marquess of Londonderry; daughter of Sir John Edwards, 1st Bt
at the

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

1770 births 1850 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Montgomeryshire Militia officers Whig (British political party) MPs for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 {{UK-baronet-stub